Andrew King

Andrew King, on behalf of Catharine Trebnick, asked for more color on the performance of Zoom's revamped channel partners program since Nick Tibbs joined, and how the partner-led professional services organization aids in winning deals.

Answer

CFO Michelle Chang emphasized the importance of a healthy channel ecosystem for Zoom's phone and customer experience focus. She highlighted strong forward-looking metrics, including a 30% increase in pipeline, over 50% of large phone deals coming from partners, and a growing number of transacting partners, indicating a successful investment.

Andrew King asked for more color on the performance of Zoom's channel partner platform since Nick Tibbs revamped the program, and how the partner-led professional services organization helps win deals.

Answer

Michelle Chang, CFO, emphasized the critical role of a healthy channel ecosystem for Phone and CX, noting its importance for international expansion. She highlighted strong forward-looking metrics, including a 30% increase in pipeline, the majority of Contact Center deals from partners, over 50% of large Phone deals from partners, and a growing number of transacting partners.

Andrew King from Rosenblatt Securities asked about 8x8's strategy regarding building versus buying AI capabilities, especially given the trend of acquisitions by other players in the technology space.

Answer

CEO Samuel Wilson clarified that 8x8's strategy prioritizes 'build and partner' over acquisitions for AI. He explained that partnering provides greater flexibility and access to best-in-breed providers in the rapidly changing AI landscape, which he believes is the optimal solution for customers. He cited in-house developments like summarization and partnerships as key to their platform strategy.